The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Friday 12th September)

Good Morning. It's Friday 12th September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road

Opportunity to break London hoodoo

Leeds United travel to Fulham this weekend with a clear desire to arrest a troubling pattern of results in the capital. Having made a steady start to their Premier League campaign, the Whites now face a stern test of character against a Fulham side that has historically matched up well against them on home soil. Leeds’ struggles in London have become a recurring theme: they have lost their last eight top flight league matches in the city, shipping 26 goals in the process.

Their last triumph in the capital came under Jesse Marsch on the final day of the 2021-22 season at Brentford, a victory that not only secured safety but offered a brief sense of optimism. To find a worse run of defeats in London, one has to look back nearly a century, when between 1925 and 1930 the club endured 12 consecutive top-flight losses there.

Fulham, on the other hand, have been a difficult opponent for Leeds at Craven Cottage since the Premier League era began. The Cottagers have lost just once in five home meetings with the Yorkshire side, that defeat coming in the 2020-21 season under Scott Parker. This backdrop suggests Marco Silva’s men will feel confident of extending the trend.

Yet there is an air of resilience about Leeds when at their best. Their spirited display against Newcastle a fortnight ago hinted at a team ready to fight for every point, even in challenging circumstances. If Daniel Farke’s men can summon the same intensity and defensive discipline, this clash could turn into a tightly contested battle rather than the one-sided affair that recent history might predict. For Leeds, it represents not only an opportunity to claim valuable points but also a chance to put an end to their London hoodoo.

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Dropping Longstaff could be a mistake

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke faces a welcome selection dilemma ahead of this weekend’s clash with Fulham, after Sean Longstaff’s outstanding display against his former club Newcastle United. The 27-year-old midfielder, signed for £12 million in the summer, was instrumental in Leeds draw, dictating the tempo in midfield, pressing aggressively, and linking play with a maturity that underlined why Farke was so keen to bring him to Elland Road. Awarded Man of the Match for his efforts, Longstaff’s all-action performance has quickly endeared him to the Leeds faithful and given his manager plenty to ponder when naming his starting XI.

Ethan Ampadu’s return from injury adds another layer of complexity to the midfield puzzle. The Welsh international has been a key figure for Leeds, offering defensive solidity and composure in possession. While Ampadu seems a natural fit to reclaim his holding role, Longstaff’s dynamism in a more advanced position could provide the perfect balance. The picture is further complicated by Ao Tanaka’s potential availability; the Japanese midfielder has shown flashes of technical quality but has yet to fully convince the Elland Road faithful this term, prompting doubts about his readiness for the top flight.

Dropping Longstaff after such an influential performance would be a tough call, particularly given the momentum he could bring into a crucial encounter with Fulham. On current form, it would not be a surprise if the summer signing retains his place, with Ampadu slotting back in alongside him to give Leeds both the steel and creativity needed to push for another positive result.

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Morning all,

‘Ao Tanaka’s potential availability; the Japanese midfielder has shown flashes of technical quality but has yet to fully convince the Elland Road faithful this term, prompting doubts about his readiness for the top flight‘

He’s hardly played yet ffs give him a chance.

 

Besides the scoring issues my main concern is having Struijk in ahead of Bijal, just because Struijk is skipper in the absence of Ampadu.

 

What about a back 3

 

Has Farke ever played a back 3? I seem to remember us playing pretty badly in this system under Bielsa.

 

unless i've missed it, he's not shown any sign of wanting to try that pre-season.

If Amps is fit he'll start for gruev and if tanaka is fit i'd be really surprised if he played ahead of Longstaff.

I think it's Amps, Stach, longstaff - which is what i feel is our most physical, strongest midfield for away games. Gruev is solid cover for all of them. I'd be picking Longstaff even without the newcastle performance, but i can't see him getting dropped after that - terrible message to the dressing room.

Tanaka will help us set a tempo and retain possession better against sides that don't press so hard, or as sub for when we're chasing games... and for home games where we fancy our chances of having a real go.

That's my blueprint for the season.

 

For me I would play a back 3 for away games, but Farke is one dimensional and cannot deviate from his own brand or style of playing. That I believe is why I believe that if things start to go wrong we are in big trouble. Any one of us on here knows that we struggle against a high pressing team for instance and hopefully Farke has stopped us trying to play out from the back….

 

Well, I’ll reiterate, we were awful in that system under Bielsa unless my memory is playing tricks with me and anyone can tell me differently.

 

I think he's planning to fluctutate between 433 and last years 4231 - to be honest you can argue there's not that much difference between them anyway - is the third swap out the third midfielder for a 10 and they look pretty similar... just one is more defensive minded than the other. There's an argument that these are fluid enough for everyone to know their job. Chuck a third centreback in the mix and everyone' job changes.

 

Bielsa had this thing where he matched centre backs to the number of attackers. So if the oppo played 1 up top as was normal, we played 2 centre backs. If they played 2 up top, we played 3 at the back. He always wanted a spare man. The problem with that in my view was that it completely disrupted our patterns of play. Had i been the opposition manager i'd have played 2 up top against bielsa, just for that reason. We were generally a car crash as i remember it.

Cue ASKI to provide stats that suggest we were better with 3 at the back under Marcelo.

 

Dunno why a back 3 is part of any discussion. Farke hasnt ever gone back 3 whilst here. Not even in friendlies or cup matches.

His system whether a 433 or 4231 revolves around the defensive anchor dropping in to a back 3 when the full backs push forward.

Its too big a change to just throw in against Fulham. If he did it then id be thinking desperation has kicked in.